HomeModern PentathlonMODERN PENTATHLON: Outgoing chief Schormann’s shadow almost overwhelmed the UIPM Congress, but not quite

MODERN PENTATHLON: Outgoing chief Schormann’s shadow almost overwhelmed the UIPM Congress, but not quite

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≡ UIPM CONGRESS ≡

/Updated/German Klaus Schormann was the President of the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne from 1993 until last week’s UIPM Congress in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but while he played a decisive role in shaping what happened there. But he did not get everything he wanted.

Multiple sources have confirmed that Schormann played an important role in eroding sentiment for France’s Olympic medalist Joel Bouzou, the former long-time UIPM Secretary General, and the favorite to succeed Schormann as President.

Instead, Bouzou was eliminated in the first round and American Rob Stull, a two-time modern pentathlon Olympian and the Managing Director of USA Pentathlon, was elected on the third ballot, by 53-48 over Egypt’s Sharif El Erian.

The push to switch from Bouzou came late, within the final days prior to the Congress, but proved to be decisive.

The election of Stull would have had a follow-on effect of eliminating the candidature of long-time UIPM Treasurer John Helmick, also from the U.S. The UIPM rules state that “There cannot be more than one member from one nation in the Executive Board or in any UIPM Committees or UIPM Commissions at the same time.” However, Helmick withdrew his candidature on Saturday after giving his Treasurer’s report and prior to the Presidential election.

Helmick had been the UIPM Treasurer since 2000, but was dismissed from the Olympic Games in Paris, with the UIPM explaining in a statement:

“UIPM confirms that UIPM Treasurer, John Helmick, has handed in his accreditation for Paris 2024 and left the Olympic Games pending an investigation by a specially-convened UIPM disciplinary panel into alleged credentials irregularities.”

Helmick was certified for the elections in Riyadh, against Brazil’s Helio Meirelles, a UIPM Auditor, who was elected Treasurer. The UIPM Disciplinary Panel outcome was published on Sunday (17th), after being decided on Friday (15th), that “there was no wilful misconduct” and that Helmick “acted with negligence and had been lacking the level of diligence that could be expected from a person entrusted with valuables.” The Disciplinary Panel outcome does not mention Helmick by name, but it was confirmed that he was the subject of the announcement.

Schormann apparently got who he wanted as UIPM President in Stull, but did not quite achieve all his goals.

A motion to the Congress – “EB2″ – proposed significant new options for the involvement of an Honorary President – a post to which Schormann was elected at the Congress:

“16.2 The Executive Board may avail itself of the support and advice of any Honorary President. The Executive Board may task any Honorary President with representing the interests of UIPM in specific international relations, special development projects and/or any other tasks the Executive Board deem fit.

“16.3 The Executive Board may assign to any Honorary President funds to perform the tasks assigned pursuant to article 16.2.”

If approved, this section could allow Schormann to continue as a shadow President. And it got a majority of the votes cast:

● 54: Yes
● 37: No
● 8: Abstained (three did not vote)

But the UIPM rules require changes to statutes to receive a 2/3rds majority at a Congress, meaning with 102 votes in the room, 68 votes would have been needed for passage. Further, the motion also allowed an Honorary President to speak at the General Assembly (but not to vote) and this was also voted down.

Schormann is Honorary President, but the title carries no privileges.

A test of how far modern pentathlon can go in the direction of obstacle racing – which has replaced riding for Olympic competitions beginning in 2028 – was defeated as well.

Motion “EB3″ proposed to broaden the definition of the sport ever further:

“2.3 ‘UIPM Sports’ encompass Modern Pentathlon and every combination of its disciplines outlined in article 2.2, as well as obstacle sport. This includes Tetrathlon (any four disciplines), Triathle (swimming laser run or any three disciplines), Obstacle Laser Run, Biathle (continuous run/swim), Laser Run (a combined event of running and laser shooting), and standalone disciplines of Obstacle sport not limited to ninja, obstacle course racing (OCR), and adventure racing.”

This expansion into all forms of obstacle-style racing almost passed, but fell short of the 2/3rds majority required:

● 62: Yes
● 31: No
● 4: Abstained (five did not vote)

Again, 68 votes were needed to pass. But an amended version proposed by the federations from Italy and Malta removed the reference to “not limited to ninja, obstacle course racing (OCR), and adventure racing” and left it at “standalone disciplines of Obstacle sport.”

This passed, barely:

● 70: Yes
● 30: No
● 1: Abstained (one did not vote)

This will be important for Stull going forward, as World Obstacle is being integrated with the UIPM and includes competitions in Adventure, Hybrid Racing and Ninja as well as Obstacle. The UIPM is now restricted to “Obstacle Racing” only and not the other formats.

Stull was a board member of World Obstacle in 2021 as the continental representative of the Americas, at the same time he was heading USA Pentathlon and was a board member of the UIPM, so he is at the vanguard of the obstacle movement inside the sport.

Two motions from Belarus were defeated, including a request to hold annual modern pentathlon world championships with riding as a “non-Olympic discipline”; this lost by 52-36 with eight abstentions. Another motion to remove sanctions on Russia and Belarus lost by 58-29.

Observed: One of the questions going forward will be how Stull points the UIPM in terms of obstacle racing as an added event on the Olympic program, or for obstacle racing to have a bigger profile with the absorption of the World Obstacle federation.

But as always, the UIPM has very limited resources, and Stull will be under pressure to create new revenues, or see modern pentathlon fall further behind other federations on the Olympic program.

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